Multimedia Laptops Buyers Guide
Sure, everyone enjoys watching web videos and having video chats with family and friends but multimedia notebooks offer a premium high-definition entertainment experience that you just won’t find with a more affordable general purpose laptop. Multimedia notebooks are often categorized as luxury or premium notebooks since these systems offer higher resolution displays for watching high-definition video and usually come equipped with faster processors and mid-range discrete graphics for 1080p Blu-ray playback, editing HD home movies and even watching 3D TV on select models.
Multimedia notebooks aren’t just focused on providing a rich visual experience but also frequently offer enhanced audio playback with software that automatically enhances music and other audio files. This category of laptops also often includes “branded” stereo speakers and subwoofers from well-known speaker manufactures built into the laptop so that you get theater-quality sound even when you’re watching movies on the road. Multimedia notebooks are all about content consumption and content creation so you can expect to find high capacity hard drives for storing your full library of photos, videos and music.
Most multimedia notebooks come with 15-inch or 17-inch HD displays, but there are some 14-inch premium entertainment notebooks that offer a better-than-average multimedia experience for those people who want a more mobile solution. Multimedia notebooks typically cost several hundred dollars more than a general purpose laptop with the same size screen due to higher performance components and often extensive use of metal or alloy in the construction of the notebook to provide a “luxury” feel.
17-inch multimedia notebooks that use a large percentage of aluminum or alloy might easily weigh more than seven pounds but a good 14-inch multimedia notebook shouldn’t weigh more than about five pounds.
Recent Multimedia Laptops Reviews
Lenovo Review
Lenovo Yoga 710 14 Review
Lenovo’s revamped Yoga 710 is a slick 14-inch convertible, with a magnesium-aluminum exterior and an edge-to-edge display. Read full article
Review
Razer Blade Stealth (2016) Review
This 0.52-inch thin Ultrabook was anything but stealthy at CES 2016. Best known for its gaming peripherals, Razer’s latest computer is a stand-out in more ways than one. Read full article
Review
Gigabyte P57W Review
Announced at CES 2016, Gigabyte's 17.3-inch P57W is a thin-and-light gaming powerhouse, with Intel's latest Core i7 processor and Nvidia GTX 970M graphics. Read full article
Lenovo Review
Lenovo ideapad Y700 Review: A Balanced Behemoth
There’s a lot to like in a big laptop, especially if it's big on processing power. The Lenovo ideapad Y700 fits that bill with a Core i7 and dedicated Nvidia[...] Read full article
VAIO Review
VAIO Z Canvas Review
Sony may have called it quits on its computer division, but that didn’t spell the end of VAIO. It only resulted in a metamorphosis – one that has manifested in[...] Read full article
Lenovo Review
Lenovo Yoga 700 Review: Multipurpose Simplicity
The more affordable alternative to the premium Yoga 900, the new Yoga 700 doesn’t feature the 4K display or fancy trappings of its more expensive counterpart. Read on to see[...] Read full article
Review
Dell Inspiron 15-7559 Review: The Dark Side Awakens
Don't judge this notebook by its cover. Thanks to Nvidia graphics, a Skylake processor, and an affordable price the Inspiron 15-7559 isn't an ordinary boring 15-inch laptop. Take a closer[...] Read full article
Lenovo Review
Lenovo Z51 Review
This mid-range multimedia laptop starts at less than $600 with a Core i5 CPU. Add in robust JBL speakers with a 1080p display. However, poor battery life a screen with[...] Read full article
Dell Review
Dell Latitude 14 7000 (E7450) Review
Businesses don't always upgrade employee laptops every year, but if you're looking for better battery life, a beautiful display and impressive durability then it might be time to get a[...] Read full article
Acer Review
Acer Aspire E 15 Review: One step forward, two steps back
The E 15 includes a full HD display, Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and dedicated Nvidia graphics for a penny under $800 - read our review to see[...] Read full article
Lenovo Yoga 710 14 Review
Lenovo’s revamped Yoga 710 is a slick 14-inch convertible, with a magnesium-aluminum exterior and an edge-to-edge display. Read full article
Razer Blade Stealth (2016) Review
This 0.52-inch thin Ultrabook was anything but stealthy at CES 2016. Best known for its gaming peripherals, Razer’s latest computer is a stand-out in more ways than one. Read full article
Gigabyte P57W Review
Announced at CES 2016, Gigabyte's 17.3-inch P57W is a thin-and-light gaming powerhouse, with Intel's latest Core i7 processor and Nvidia GTX 970M graphics. Read full article
Lenovo ideapad Y700 Review: A Balanced Behemoth
There’s a lot to like in a big laptop, especially if it's big on processing power. The Lenovo ideapad Y700 fits that bill with a Core i7 and dedicated Nvidia[...] Read full article
VAIO Z Canvas Review
Sony may have called it quits on its computer division, but that didn’t spell the end of VAIO. It only resulted in a metamorphosis – one that has manifested in[...] Read full article
Lenovo Yoga 700 Review: Multipurpose Simplicity
The more affordable alternative to the premium Yoga 900, the new Yoga 700 doesn’t feature the 4K display or fancy trappings of its more expensive counterpart. Read on to see[...] Read full article
Dell Inspiron 15-7559 Review: The Dark Side Awakens
Don't judge this notebook by its cover. Thanks to Nvidia graphics, a Skylake processor, and an affordable price the Inspiron 15-7559 isn't an ordinary boring 15-inch laptop. Take a closer[...] Read full article
Lenovo Z51 Review
This mid-range multimedia laptop starts at less than $600 with a Core i5 CPU. Add in robust JBL speakers with a 1080p display. However, poor battery life a screen with[...] Read full article
Dell Latitude 14 7000 (E7450) Review
Businesses don't always upgrade employee laptops every year, but if you're looking for better battery life, a beautiful display and impressive durability then it might be time to get a[...] Read full article
Acer Aspire E 15 Review: One step forward, two steps back
The E 15 includes a full HD display, Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and dedicated Nvidia graphics for a penny under $800 - read our review to see[...] Read full article